Christopher Eccleston has admitted that his exit from Doctor Who came close to destroying his career.

Speaking to The Guardian, Eccleston who played the Ninth Doctor in 2005, says: “What happened around Doctor Who almost destroyed my career.”

​“I gave them a hit show and I left with dignity and then they put me on a blacklist,” he admits. “I was carrying my own insecurities as it was something I had never done before and then I was abandoned, vilified in the tabloid press and blacklisted.

I was told by my agent at the time: ‘The BBC regime is against you. You’re going to have to get out of the country and wait for regime change.’ So I went away to America and I kept on working because that’s what my parents instilled in me. My dad always said to me: ‘I don’t care what you do – sweeping the floor or whatever you’re doing – just do the best job you can.’ I know it’s cliched and northern and all that, but it applies.”

Until recently, the truth behind Eccleston leaving Doctor Who after just one series has been largely secretive, but this does shine a light on some of the reasons for his unexpected exit after the Series One finale, handing over the reigns to David Tennant, who stayed with the show for three series and a number of special episodes.